Poems About Yourself

I Am Poems
1st Stanza I am (two special characteristics you have) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I see (an imaginary sight) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem is repeated) Stanza 2 I pretend (something you really pretend to do) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (something you imagine you touch) I worry (a worry that is real to you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem is repeated) Stanza 3 I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (a dream you actually have) I try (something you make an effort to do) I hope (something you really hope for) I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

Example: I AM I am the wine and the future I wonder how many ripples I will have to swim I hear the trickle of time in a bitter bottle I see the translucent red drain from the wine I want the sweet satin liquid to stain my tongue I am the wine and the future. I pretend to entertain the glowing embers I feel the dew that sours the grapes I touch the vine that grows new life I worry the drunkard may speak the truth I cry the dewdrop tears on the winery walls I am the wine and the future. I understand the dust on the bottle I say it only makes it sweeter with time I dream the sponge cork may never be replaced by lips I try to glimmer the crack in my glass container I hope the sun-faded label never creases for lost identity I am the wine and the future. --Katie Reilly (Grade 10)

Someday Poems: Begin each line with the word Someday... and complete it with a wish you have. Make the first two or three lines say something about your everyday wishes and slowly move away from yourself to the world in general. You may end the poem with the word Someday.... Example: SOMEDAY... Someday I will play the guitar Someday I will have a job Someday I will get married Someday I will have kids Someday I will be rich Someday I will be noticed ---Melissa Manor (Grade 10) One Window Is All I Need... Poems: Begin your poem with the line One window is all I need...,and continue to write about this imaginary window in a personal way. Examples: ONE WINDOW IS ALL I NEED One window is all I need To see what lies ahead for me To lose myself in love For a connection to my inner world To see myself for who I am And be able to make changes. ---Tierra Jones (Grade 10) ONE WINDOW IS ALL I NEED... to see the world to reveal myself to imagine adventures to return to myself and live. ---Alex Buffington (Grade 10)

Haiku
Most popular definition, but there is more to haiku than meets the eye: Haiku (also called nature or seasonal haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Haiku is usually written in the present tense and focuses on nature (seasons). The 5/7/5 rule was made up for school children to understand and learn this type of poetry. Example #1: Pink cherry blossoms Cast shimmering reflections On seas of Japan
Copyright Andrea

Example #2: salt-waves caress sand tickling my toes and heart in their short-spun wake
Copyright 2002 Diana

Example #3: warm soup in a bowl letters of the alphabet hang on the teaspoon
Copyright 2002 Gail Goto

Limerick
A Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-69. The rhythm of the poem should go as follows: Lines 1, 2, 5: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak Lines 3, 4: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak This is the most commonly heard first line of a limerick: "There once was a man from Nantucket." Example: I am a pretty little flower I am endowed with lots of power when you pick me in green I'll bite you 'cause I'm mean And live to see another hour.
Copyright 2000 Christine Ann Kelley

Shape Poetry
Shape is one of the main things that separate prose and poetry. Poetry can take on many formats, but one of the most inventive forms is for the poem to take on the shape of its subject. Therefore,if the subject of your poem were of a flower, then the poem would be shaped like a flower. If it were of a fish, then the poem would take on the shape of a fish. ><<<*> Shape and Concrete Poetry go hand-in-hand; however, Concrete or Visual Poetry dont have to take on the particular shape of the poems subject, but rather the wording in the poem can enhance the effect of the words such as in this line: an angel tumbling d o w n to earth . . . Designing your own shape poem can be simple and fun, but try not to pick anything that would be too difficult. You can map out or draw your shape first, and then import the text of your poem into your shape. Example #1: Birth of a Triangle mama and papa and baby make three, reaching sides of a three-sided tree. oedipal winds rustle from leaves; triangular shapes converting dissimilarity into peeves. straight lines connect the corners turned; mirrored sight un-burned; buried am i
Copyright 2001 Alex Goldenberg

Example #2: My Body my body is a walking representation the outward visual caption of what it means to be me from the outside looking in at times I hide from you but mostly what you see is what you will get
Copyright 2001 Andrea Forbing-Maglione

Cinquain
Cinquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of twenty-two syllables distributed as 2, 4, 6, 8, 2, in five lines. It was developed by the Imagist poet, Adelaide Crapsey. Another form, sometimes used by school teachers to teach grammar, is as follows: Line 1: Noun Line 2: Description of Noun Line 3: Action Line 4: Feeling or Effect Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun. Example: angels kind beyond words they protect and forgive and make feelings of blissfulness cherebum
Copyright 2003 Erin Holbrook

Ode
An Ode is a poem praising and glorifying a person, place or thing. Example #1: An Ode To Dreamers When dreamers dream And lovers love Do they receive their visions From heaven above? Or do they originate Where all things start Within our minds Within our hearts? I know not all But what I do know is this You cannot build a Kingdom Upon a flimsy wish So believe in your dreams Follow them blind Lest you loose them all, To the hands of time.
Copyright 2000 B. R. Jording

Example #2: Ode To A Butterfly Oh! the butterfly he flutters all day, he roams the skies with some delay. He alights on trees, fences and roses, to whatever attracts his fancy he will do his poses. He's up, he's down he dances with the breeze, he comes, he goes and does it with ease. As I watch him in pure delight, I begin to wonder if he knows his own plight. For soon spring turns into summer then summer flies quickly by, the sun setting early into a darkening sky. The butterfly is gone now replaced by snow, but he will be back again to put on his beautiful show.
Copyright 2001 Lorraine Nisbet

Quatrain
A Quatrain is a poem consisting of four lines of verse with a specific rhyming scheme. A few examples of a quatrain rhyming scheme are as follows: #1) abab #2) abba -- envelope rhyme #3) aabb #4) aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd -- chain rhyme Example: Lord of Deceit Trapped within a haze of fear, The Lord of Lies does appear. Clouded by so much thats wrong, Truth gets twisted by his song. Turning love and joy to pain, Hidden by the falling rain. Tragedy becomes the norm When hate and fear begin to form. Hurtful lies tear lives apart And cause more harm to a heart. Once the pain and hate begin, Nothing is the same again. Once the lie has been revealed, Secrets are no more concealed. Then the healing can undo What he has done unto you. Once the healing has begun, Love and happiness have won. With the truth, you can defeat The spiteful Lord of Deceit.
Copyright 2000 Theresa King

Free Verse
Free Verse is an irregular form of poetry in which the content free of traditional rules of versification (freedom from fixed meter or rhyme). In moving from line to line, the poet's main consideration is where to insert line breaks. Some ways of doing this include breaking the line where there is a natural pause or at a point of suspense for the reader. Following the direction of Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound and T.S.Eliot, many modern day poets use this particular form of expression. Example: Ode to Job Job came down in a woosh, outstretched and gliding into the horizon. Blue shadowed flight arrested by the beckoning marsh. His greatness bears much yet not the anguish of ancient prophecy. Situated grievances weigh feathery on this long, strong back. Unconscious emotion numbs while time drifts out another sun salted day.
Copyright 2001 Lachlan Ivy

Song
A Song is an expression of a poet's personal emotions, meant to be sung. Lyrics in a song contain verses (lines that make up a song; sung poem) and a chorus (a repeating verse in a song (refrain). Example: Empty Wishing Well You say your eyes are a wishing well And the future you can tell You asked me what is my sign I said Scorpio was mine You told me that astrology Had to do with cosmic harmony You read divining signs to see what's up And the tea leaves in your cup (Chorus) But If you're so psychic, why couldn't you tell? Where was your warning when you fell... Into your empty wishing well You crossed the gypsies palm with gold Then you had her read me the Tarot I watched you cast the rune stones And then you tossed the bones You looked into your crystal ball Then you turned over the eight-ball You told me that your clairvoyance Is good for problem avoidance (Chorus) But If you're so psychic, why couldn't you tell? Where was your warning when you fell... Into your empty wishing well? You say your souls like a lotus flower And you believe in pyramid power You found your way through the shaman's drum And through the words of the chosen one All your past lives you say you can see But your present life's a mystery Aren't you afraid you'll fade Into a Mercury retrograde? (Chorus) But If you're so psychic, why couldn't you tell? Where was your warning when you fell... Into your empty wishing well
Copyright 2000 Wally O'Lepp

Writing a Rap Song

Raps are talk songs. They are not sung; they are spoken. They have a very heavy beat and a lot of rhyme. Behind the speaker of a rap, there might be original music, "scratching" sounds, and parts of other peoples' songs. To write your own rap, begin with your topic. You have to know enough about your topic to rap about it. I usually make it school, friends or family and always MUST be in a positive sense. Once you learn all about your topic you're ready to rap. Tell the whole story of your ballot topic in rhyme. Most raps rhyme in 'couplets." That means lines rhyme two at a time. Lines one and two rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines. And so on. The two lines that rhyme together are a "Couplet." Begin your lyrics with a line that has a strong beat or rhythm. Rhyme the next line with the first. Try to repeat the same rhythm in the second line, too. Then begin a new rhyme with the third line. The fourth line should rhyme with the third line. Keep repeating this rhyming pattern. The beat can be different in different lines. Some lines can be short; others, long. You might want to have a "refrain" in your lyrics. A refrain is a group of lines that remain the same and are repeated throughout the song.

List Poems
There are so many things that can be written about in lists, that sometimes we cannot think of a thing to write. To help, some ideas for lists are below. Lists can be either rhyming or not. It is up to you to decide which style you use. Ideas for List Poems The Sources of: grayness stiffness softness redness squeaks cold sights Examples: THINGS KIDS SAY WHEN THEY WANT TO GET OUT TO PLAY --I did all my homework. --I picked up my toys. --I emptied the trash. --My bed is made. No, there are no lumps. --I ate all my vegetables. --But everyone else is. --Bobby's mom doesn't make him. --But, Mom. --No, my dirty clothes aren't under the bed. --Yes, Mom, I'm sure. --Yeah, I'll be careful.. No, I won't poke an eye out. --Oh, please! ---Steve Schlatter (Grade 10) CAN YOU IMAGINE... A city without violence This classroom in silence Basketball without a ball Reno without a mall Ducks wearing lipstick No barbecue at a picnic Sky without stars Jail with no bars Thrusdays without New York Undercover Being born without having a mother The Lakers after Shaq Harlem without crack Pepsi without caffeine Every night having the same dream? ---Tierra Jones (Grade 10) Things That: ring light you find in the grocery hear in your house smell in the school are round/square are red/blue/green/black Things: to do waiting for the bus to do trying to fall asleep you should have done you should not have done that make you feel tall that make you feel small that you tell your mother

Sonnet
A Sonnet is a poem consisting of 14 lines (iambic pentameter) with a particular rhyming scheme: Examples of a rhyming scheme: #1) abab cdcd efef gg #2) abba cddc effe gg #3) abba abba cdcd cd A Shakespearean (English) sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet, and rhymes abab cdcd efef gg. An Italian sonnet is composed of an octave, rhyming abbaabba, and a sestet, rhyming cdecde or cdcdcd, or in some variant pattern, but with no closing couplet. Usually, English and Italian Sonnets have 10 syllables per line, but Italian Sonnets can also have 11 syllables per line.
Example #1: Sonnet of Demeter--Italian Sonnet Oh the pirate stars, they have no mercy! Masquerading as hope they tell their lies; Only the young can hear their lullabies. But I am barren and I am thirsty Since she has gone. No hope is there for me. I will roam and curse this earth and these skies-Death from life which Zeus sovereign denies. My heart's ill shall the whole world's illness be Till she is returned-- my daughter, my blood-From the dark hand of Hades to my care. With my tears these mortals shall know a flood To show Poseidon's realm desert and bare. No myrtle shall flower, no cypress bud Till the gods release her...and my despair.
Copyright 2000 Erica Fay

Example #2: Sonnet--Italian Sonnet I set my soul free down the dreamers lane Thoughts of joyful times bring my mind aflight Moons of memories drip so lovely light Stars above hum a tune to ease my pain I sail a sea where kings of past did reign Thoughts buried deep burn in the stars so bright To see the legends only I may sight A life of imagery that pumps in vein As life is written in a hidden page I soar among all the things that will fly I'm always seeking my soul's so lost core Sooths all of my hate and my painful rage Sorrow from all my blood dripped tears I cry Dreams are the peace felt in life times before
Copyright 2000 Emily Webber

Poetry Resources
All of the definitions and examples came from www.shadowpoetry.com and http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm. Feel free to visit these sites if you need more ideas. Need help rhyming? You can go to http://www.rhymezone.com/ for assistance. You type in a word and the site will find rhyming words and phrases. This may be useful when writing quatrains. If you are having problems with different poetic terms, visit http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html for definitions of words relating to poetry. This site has links to a lot of different poetry sites: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetrycollections.html